Friday, February 17, 2017

The Binding of Satan

Introduction

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.﻿ And he laid hold on the dragon,
that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years,﻿ And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season (Rev.
20:1-3).”

We discussed
previously that in the interpretation of John’s Apocalypse, the exegete must
not ignore the visionary and symbolic meaning of the apostle’s writings. The
apocalyptic genre of Revelation demands that, in order to understand John’s
vision in Revelation 20:1-6 properly, the exegete must interpret the highly
symbolical meaning of the apostle’s visions with the light given in the rest of
Scripture, as well as by comparing the usage of similar symbols in other
visions within the Book of Revelation.

Dispensational
Premillennialists, such as Reverend Charles Seet of Life Bible Presbyterian
Church in Singapore, often charge Amillennialists with not adhering to a
literalistic hermeneutics in their interpretation of Revelation. Criticizing
the non-premillennial understanding of Revelation 20:1-3, Seet writes:

“The angel mentioned in 20:1 is Christ Himself [according to the
non-premillennial understanding]. His coming down from heaven is interpreted as
His incarnation into this world. His act of binding Satan and casting him into
the bottomless pit mentioned in 20:2-3, is interpreted as His death on the
cross which removed Satan’s power over believers. . . . As you can see, those
who do not interpret this passage literally, take quite a lot of liberties with
the text, making it mean things that are not natural to the plain sense of the
text. The plain meaning of the text is therefore ignored in favour of a hidden,
cryptic message, which only those who are qualified can understand.”[1]

Seet’s paper
“Premillennialism,” especially his aforementioned comments, fails to do justice
to the principles behind Reformed hermeneutics, and the amillennial understanding of Revelation 20:1-3. Most contemporary amillennial interpreters do not
understand the angel in 20:1 as depicting Christ. They neither perceive the
binding of Satan as a restriction of his powers over believers, nor do they prefer a “hidden, cryptic message” which
only the cognoscenti can decode.

Non-premillennial
interpreters recognize the symbolic usage of many terms in Revelation, the
meaning of which goes beyond the linguistic and referential levels of
communication. In Revelation 20:1-3, “John sees an angel coming down out of
heaven. He has a key with which he is going to lock the abyss (cf. 9:1, 11).
This abyss is a deep hole provided with a shaft (9:1), and with a lid. This lid
can be unlocked (9:2), locked (20:3), and even sealed (20:3). Bear in mind,
however, that all this is symbolism.”[2]

The absurdity of
consistent literalism in the understanding of such a passage is apparent. John
is not conveying the notion that an angel with a literal key, which fits into a
keyhole, will open a literal “bottomless pit” on Earth. There can be no doubt
that the apostle is not referring to an abyss with a literal lid, which can be
locked and unlocked.

The angel, the
dragon, the chain, the key and the abyss all have symbolical meanings, and such
terms should not be understood literally. The identity of the serpent is given
for us in the text of Revelation 20:2, which describes “the dragon, that old
serpent” as “the Devil, and Satan.” It is unmistakable that the term “dragon”
does not refer to a literal dragon or dinosaur, and that the word “serpent”
does not represent a literal viper or cobra. This serves to emphasize the fact
that terms used in John’s visions contain symbolical connotations, and such
words must be carefully interpreted against the backdrop of previous visions
where similar symbols were used. Crass literalism will only mutilate the
intended meaning of the text.

The Angel

Although some
postmillennial interpreters have attempted to understand the descending angel
(Revelation 20:1) as representing Christ,[3]
amillennial exegetes such as Beale have, in view of the usage of “angel” in
other visions recorded in the Book of Revelation, interpreted the meaning of
“angel” differently. Beale writes:

“In striking similarity to 20:1, both 6:8 and 9:1-2 portray good angels
(the fourth living creature and the fifth trumpet angel) as Christ’s
intermediaries executing his authority over demonic beings in the realm of the
dead.”[4]

On account of the
visions in Revelation 6:8 and 9:1-2 which describe angels exercising Christ’s
authority over death, Hades and even demonic powers, Beale identifies the angel
in 20:1 as Christ’s intermediary. Beale explains that “Christ’s sovereignty
over the sphere of the dead is . . . amplified in [Revelation] ch. 6, where his
opening of the fourth seal is a depiction of his ultimate authority during the
age between his first and second comings over the subordinate Satanic powers of
“death and Hades” (6:8). Likewise, “the key of the shaft of the abyss” in ch. 9
represents God’s ultimate authority over demonic powers dwelling in the realm
of death (9: 1-2), whose deceiving powers are limited by God so that they
cannot affect those who “have the seal of God” (9:4).”[5]

The angel in 20:1
has “the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.” The key to
the abyss or bottomless pit is likely to be similar to the “keys of hell and of
death” mentioned in Revelation 1:18. By virtue of His resurrection, Christ now
exercises sovereignty over death itself, including the realm of the dead and
Hades. Considering the symbolic connotation of this “key of the bottomless pit,”
the context of the vision suggests that the descending “angel” is an angelic
intermediary of Christ executing His authority over the demonic realm, the
sphere of the dead and Hades.

The Abyss

The devil was
bound with a great chain and cast into the abyss - a bottomless pit - according
to Revelation 20:1-3. It is apparent that the word “abyss” does not refer to a
specific geographical location on earth, and the great chain is not a titanium
shackle used to bind gargantuan creatures. As a correct understanding of these
symbols is necessary for the interpretation of Revelation 20:1-3, it behooves
us to examine carefully the meaning of these terms within the context of John’s
vision. Charles Alexander reminds us that “Satan is bound by no material
‘chain’ nor is he sealed in any celestial prison. There is no geography in the
eternal world, no pits, no bottomless abysses, nothing like this in a sphere
where all is spiritual. Prisons and pits are earthly terms used to denote
restriction, restraint, limitation of powers, the frustration and confinement
of evil.”[6]

It is clear that
the devil was not cast out of a physical place in some distant land, and
subsequently thrown into an actual bottomless ditch on earth. In conjunction
with the usage of the word “abyss” in Revelation 9, the abyss is likely to be
symbolic of death and Hades. “It is wrong to picture the devil being “cast out
of the earth” in some spatial sense, so that he is no longer present on earth.
This would be to take “abyss” in an overly literalistic manner. Rather, like
“heaven” throughout the Apocalypse, it represents a spiritual dimension
existing alongside and in the midst of the earthly, not above it or below.”[7]

The aforementioned understanding is particularly important when we
realize that premillennial interpreters insist upon a more literal reading of
the word “abyss.” Some even argue that Satan cannot be prowling around like a
lion (1 Pet. 5:8) if he is indeed bound with chains in the abyss. Nevertheless,
we ought to recognize that the abyss refers to a spiritual reality rather than
a spatial location, and in so doing, avoid literalistic misinterpretations.

According to Beale, “the abyss is one of the various metaphors
representing the spiritual sphere in which the devil and his accomplices
operate. [Revelation] 9:1-11 portrays an angelic being (probably the devil)
using “the key of the shaft of the abyss,” opening the abyss, and releasing
demonic creatures so that they torment unbelievers on earth.”[8]
If we were to understand the abyss as the sphere wherein the devil and his
minions operate, the binding of Satan within the abyss does not necessitate the
removal of the devil from amongst the earthly dimensions, or the total
cessation of satanic activities within the realm of humans.

The One
Thousand Years

There are good
reasons for understanding the one “thousand years” of Revelation 20:1-6
figuratively. Primarily, numbers are often used symbolically in the Book of
Revelation; inter alia, the physical
dimensions of the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21:9-27 serve as an
example.[9]

Amillennialist
Anthony Hoekema observes that “since the number ten signifies completeness, and
since a thousand is ten to the third power, we may think of the expression “a
thousand years” as standing for a complete period, a very long period of
indeterminate length.”[10]
Reformed exegetes, including amillennialists and postmillennialists, generally
accept the non-literal understanding of the thousand years in Revelation
20:1-6.

It is notable that
the premillennial interpreter, George Eldon Ladd, makes a similar remark:

“It is difficult to understand the thousand years for which he was
bound with strict literalness in view of the obvious symbolic use of numbers in
the Revelation. A thousand equals the third power of ten – an ideal time. While
we need not take it literally, the thousand years does appear to represent a
real period of time, however long or short it may be.”[11]

We remember that
Revelation chapters 20 to 22 constitute the last of the seven sections of
John’s apocalypse.[12]
Considering the evidence for recapitulation discussed in the previous chapter,
we understand that Revelation 20:1 does not follow Revelation 19:21
chronologically. The twentieth chapter of Revelation brings us back to the
beginning of the New Testament epoch, which follows the First Advent of Christ.
With the incarnation of Christ begins the defeat, or the binding, of Satan. The
one thousand years indicates an indeterminate period of time between Christ’s
First and Second Advent. We shall discuss the meaning of “the binding of Satan”
later in this chapter, which will further elucidate the meaning of the thousand
years.

There is also
clear contextual evidence to support a non-literal understanding of the one
thousand years. John’s figurative usage of many words such as serpent, chain and abyss in the
immediate context points toward a symbolical interpretation of the one thousand
years in Revelation 20:1-6.

In Revelation
2:10, we read of certain saints having to suffer tribulation for ten days.There is a suggestion that the temporal
suffering of the saints for a duration of ten days, which is obviously a
figurative number signifying a complete or ideal period of time, will bring
with it the reward of millennial glory in the intermediate state and the
afterlife. Here we have another example of the usage of the number ten and its
multiples in the symbolical representation of completeness. Meredith Kline
explains its theological significance:

“There is also the intriguing possibility of a relationship between the
numerical symbols of the ten days of tribulation (2:10) and the thousand years
of reigning (20:4, 6). The intensifying of ten to a thousand together with the
lengthening of days to years might then suggest that the present momentary
tribulation works a far greater glory to be experienced even in the
intermediate state as the immediate issue of martyrdom.”[13]

The concept of
reward with the enduring of temporal, and a comparatively short duration of,
suffering is found in Peter’s exhortation,

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye
are in heaviness through manifold temptations:﻿ That the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with
fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus
Christ. . . . Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is
to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:﻿ ﻿But rejoice,
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall
be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.﻿ (1 Peter 1:6-7, 4:12-13).”

Indeed, the
tribulation period of ten days (Rev. 2:10) is dwarfed by the duration of the
millennial reign. We must conclude that both the number ten and its multiple,
one thousand, are symbolic representations of periods of time, and that the
exact duration of these periods cannot be confined to the numerical values
themselves.

The Binding of
Satan

While it is now
apparent that the thousand years begin with the binding of Satan, we must begin
to unravel the meaning inherent in John’s vision as a whole. David Aune points
out that “the use of chains to bind Satan and his host is an apocalyptic
motif.”[14]
While this motif signifies a certain restriction of demonic activity, there is
much debate as to the extent of such a restriction. Furthermore, the
understanding of what the chain
connotes has to be studied against the entire motif, that is, the meaning of
the binding of Satan.

Amillennialists
understand that the millennium is the present gospel age, and not a future
reality. It is neither an earthly Messianic kingdom ushered in by the Parousia of Christ as taught by
premillennialists, nor a golden age established with the preaching of the
gospel according to Postmillennialism. The millennium, properly understood, is
a spiritual reality enjoyed by saints in the present age.[15]

The debate regarding
the meaning of the binding of Satan concerns the presence of evil in the
present gospel age. If, indeed, the millennium is what Amillennialists perceive
it to be - a present reality - how do we explain the presence of satanic
activity in the world today? Does the binding of Satan mean a complete
cessation of satanic or evil activity on earth? Grant Osborne rightly observes
that “the primary debate here is the extent to which this binding of Satan with
respect to the nations is intended. Is this a total or a partial cessation of
demonic activity? This is at the heart of the premillennial-amillennial debate.”[16]

Premillennialists
often criticize Amillennialists for interpreting the binding of Satan as a present
reality, but such criticisms are usually unjustified. Harold Hoehner, the
professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, writes:

“However, to say that Satan is bound in the present age contradicts
several NT passages. In the time of Christ, even after Luke 10:18, Satan
entered Judas in connection with his betrayal of Jesus (Luke 22:3; John 13:27),
and he tried to control Peter (Luke 22:31). Christians are warned to be on the
alert, for the devil is prowling like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour
(1 Pet. 5:8). This activity is seen when Ananias’s heart was filled with Satan
(Acts 5:3). Satan is the one who blinds unbelievers to the gospel (Acts 26:18;
2 Cor. 4:3-4; Eph. 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:26). Satan also hindered Paul from going to
Thessalonica (1 Thess. 2:18). Furthermore, Christians are alerted to Satan’s
temptations (1 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 2:11; 11:14). It seems that Satan has not been
bound since Christ’s first advent.”[17]

Before proceeding
to a detailed study of the meaning of the binding of Satan, it suffices now to
look at a general amillennial understanding of this motif. There is New
Testament evidence that Satan was in some sense bound with the First Advent of
Christ.[18]

With the birth,
death and resurrection of Christ, Satan no longer possesses the same power and
authority he once had. According to Revelation 20:3, Satan is bound so “that he
should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be
fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” The obvious
purpose of this binding is that, he should no longer deceive the heathen
nations by preventing the spread of the gospel until the millennium has
transpired. There is no indication within the text of 20:1-6 that the devil is
bound such that he cannot perform any of his mischief. Hendricksen, using an
interesting analogy of a dog tied with a chain, elucidates further:

“A dog securely bound with a long and heavy chain can do great damage
within the circle of his imprisonment. Outside that circle, however, the animal
can do no damage and can hurt no-one. Thus also Revelation 20:1-3 teaches us
that Satan’s power is curbed and his influence curtailed with respect to one
definite sphere of activity: ‘that he should deceive the nations no more’. The
devil can do much, indeed, during this present period of one thousand
years.But there is one thing which,
during this period, he cannot do. With respect to this one thing he is
definitely and securely bound. He cannot destroy the Church as a mighty
missionary organization heralding the gospel to all the nations. He cannot do
that until the thousand years are finished.”[19]

Literalists allege
that Satan cannot be bound in this present gospel age on account of the demonic
activity and evil so prevalent in the world today. But the question is this,
“Should we interpret the vision of John in Revelation 20:1-3 in a strictly
literal sense, or should we acknowledge the symbolical elements inherent in
John’s visions, and attempt to understand the visions using the analogy of faith?”
Revelation 20:1-3, understood with a literalistic hermeneutic, would convey to
us the message that an angel descends from heaven with a literal key, which he
subsequently uses to open a bottomless hole in the ground. He then binds the
devil with a literal chain, and casts him into the abyss. Having been bound,
the devil struggles in vain within the confinement of the thick, strong chain.
Complete with horns and fangs, the devil sneers at the angel as he knows that
he must be released after the literal one thousand years are over. But for now,
he cannot communicate directly with the nations of the world so as to deceive
them with his lies. According to literalists, the devil is so tightly bound
that he cannot wriggle himself free from those huge chains, and harm the
nations with his horns and fangs. But Amillennialists contend that this vision
cannot be understood literally.

The binding of
Satan is an apocalyptic motif which conveys to the readers a spiritual reality
rather than a physical, reality. Taking 20:1-3 literally, Satan is indeed bound
with huge strong chains which may completely restrict his physical movements
and prevent him from prowling around like a lion (1 Pet. 5:8). John, however,
is not trying to inform his readers that the devil is merely a brobdingnagian
creature restricted with titanium chains for a thousand years. The vision is a
symbolic picture of a present spiritual reality, and it means much more than
having the devil trapped in a hole on planet earth, totally incapable of any wickedness.
Milton Terry explains:

“This symbolic picture of the binding of Satan has been greatly
misapprehended by supposing it to imply the cessation of all evil among men. It
is too readily assumed that if Satan be shut up and sealed in the abyss the angels
of Satan and wicked men can have no more place in the world - a most
unauthorized assumption. The passage presents only one phase of the triumph of
Christ over all his enemies. The final defeat of the devil is described in
verse 10, and the Messiah’s triumph over the last enemy, Death and Hades, is
told in verses 13 and 14. Hence it is of the first importance to a correct
interpretation of these closely related visions to note that they constitute a
series of victories which run through the entire period called symbolically a thousand years.”[20]

Indeed, with the
birth, death and resurrection of Christ, His victory over the devil is already
sealed, and is an ongoing spiritual reality via the preaching of the gospel of
the kingdom.

As discussed
previously, the abyss should not be understood as a literal bottomless hole in
the ground. It is the spiritual sphere wherein the devil and his minions
function, and it exists alongside and amidst the realm of human activity.
Alexander elaborates that “the bottomless pit is a term describing the
condition of restraint laid upon Satan as a consequence of his overthrow at Calvary. Satan can at one and the same time be in prison
and at large; bound with a great chain, yet fearsomely active.”[21]

The abyss, or the
sphere of the demonic, is no longer under the jurisdiction of the devil. Christ
declares, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death (Rev. 1:18).” With His
death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus now reigns over the sphere of demons.
The devil is thus bound, and this “restraint of Satan is a direct result of
Christ’s resurrection. If so, the binding,
expulsion, and fall of Satan can be seen in other NT passages that affirm
with the same terms (“bind,” “cast,” etc.) that the decisive defeat of the
devil occurred at Christ’s death and resurrection (Matt. 12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke
10:17-19; John 12:31-33; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14). More precisely, the binding was
probably inaugurated during Christ’s ministry, which is more the focus of texts
such as Matt. 12:29; Mark 3:27; and Luke 10:17-19.”[22]

Satan Bound
with the First Advent of Christ

Is there New
Testament evidence to suggest that the devil is bound with the First Advent of
Christ? We recall reading in the Gospel of Matthew that the Pharisees accused
Jesus of casting out demons with the power of Satan. Our Lord answered them, “Or
else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except
he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house (Matt. 12:29).”

The Greek word used by John in Revelation 20:2 translated as “bound,” is
the same word used here by Matthew (δέω) for “bind.” In Matthew 12:29, Jesus was explaining
to the Pharisees that since the kingdom
of God had arrived,
demons were being cast out, and the gospel was being preached to all the
nations. Satan’s grip over the pagan nations was broken with the coming of
God’s kingdom. The devil can no longer prevent these nations from learning
about the truth of God’s Word. Blomberg writes:

“One cannot attack a well-protected home
without first rendering the guard powerless. So, too, Jesus must first bind
Satan before he can plunder (carry off or rob, from the same verb stem as “lay
hold of” in 11:12) his house, i.e., cast out his demons. The exorcisms
demonstrate that God in Christ is decisively defeating the devil. . . . Satan
is in his death throes. His last flurry of activity, to change the metaphor, is
like that of a chicken (or perhaps better a snake!) with its head cut off.”[23]

In Luke 10:17-18, when the seventy disciples returned from their mission
trip, Jesus exclaimed to them that he “beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven.” This, of course, does not mean that Jesus saw the literal fall of
Satan from heaven onto the ground of planet Earth. Jesus was saying that, with
the missionary activities and preaching of the disciples, Satan’s kingdom was
being dealt a severe blow. A restriction of the devil’s power or a binding of
Satan’s influence over the pagan nations had taken place. Robert Stein notes
that “in the exorcisms of the seventy(-two), Jesus saw Satan’s defeat resulting
from his coming.”[24]

Satan’s fall or
binding, in this case, is associated with the preaching of the seventy
disciples. Charles Alexander adds that those words of Jesus were “spoken
prophetically in anticipation of the worldwide spread of the gospel after
Christ’s ascension to the right hand of power. Before the preaching of the
Word, Satan would be cast down from his long heathen reign over the gentile
world. Heaven is often used as a symbol of power, and Satan is always falling
from heaven wherever the irresistible Word of God is proclaimed.”[25]

In John 12:31-32,
Jesus proclaims, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of
this world be cast out. ﻿And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men unto me.” Here, we observe that the verb “cast out” (ἐκβάλλω) is derived from
the root word translated “cast” (βάλλω) in Revelation 20:3, “And cast him into the
bottomless pit.” With the casting out of Satan, and the lifting up of Christ as
He hangs on the cross, all nations indiscriminately will be drawn to the saving
grace of God. The gospel is now no longer limited to the Jewish nation, but
also preached to all the nations in the world.

As Kistemaker writes in his commentary:

“Since Jesus’ ascension, Satan has been
unable to stop the advance of the gospel of salvation. He has been bound and is
without authority, while the nations of the world around the globe have
received the glad gospel tidings. The Son of God has taken possession of these
nations (Ps. 2:7-8) and has deprived Satan of leading them astray during this
gospel age. Christ is drawing to himself people from all these nations, and out
of them God’s elect will be saved and drawn into his kingdom. These nations
receive the light of the world (John 8:12) and are no longer living in darkness
and deceit. Satan is unable to check the mission outreach of the church, for he
cannot prevent the nations from knowing the Lord.”[26]

The binding of
Satan in the Gospels (Matt. 12:26-29; Mark 3:26-27), as well as Christ’s
teaching on the fall of Satan as lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18), is
consistent with the interpretation that Revelation 20:1-3 signifies the
restraint and progressive defeat of the devil in the gospel age. Although Satan
is bound, he is still able to harm humans, including members of the Church.
However, he can never prevent the spread of the gospel light to the pagan
nations of the world.

The Meaning of
the Binding of Satan

In the Old
Testament times, the nation of Israel
was to be the light to its pagan neighbors. But Israel failed miserably when it
succumbed to the religions of the heathen nations. Instead of witnessing to the
world, Israel
became like the world. The pagan nations did not know the truth of God’s
revelation, except for the occasional person, family or city. These gentile
nations were, generally speaking, under the deception of Satan prior to the
First Advent of Christ. However, with the ministry of our Lord Jesus, the kingdom of God is being ushered in. Finally, with
the cross and empty tomb, death and resurrection, Christ strikes a decisive
victory over Satan. Nothing can prevent the Church from spreading the gospel to
the pagan nations, and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt.
16:18).”

Paul writes, “Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;﻿ ﻿And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them
in it﻿ (Col. 2:14-15).” Christ’s resurrection sealed the defeat of Satan, and
the empty tomb guarantees the ultimate end of the devil. This binding of Satan
is a progressive activity whereby the preaching of the gospel extends the kingdom of God on earth (Matt. 28:19). Revelation
20:1-3 depicts the restraint of the devil, and how he is prevented from
obstructing the progress of the gospel.

Furthermore, when
Rev. 20:3 is understood in the context of events described in 20:7-9, there is
also a sense whereby Satan is bound so that he cannot deceive the heathen
nations to war against the saints in the battle of Armageddon. Hoeksema argues
that, “If we take these two passages [Rev. 20:3 and 20:8] in connection with
each other, it may be regarded as established, in the first place, that the
binding of Satan is limited to certain nations which are called Gog and Magog;
and, secondly, that his confinement prevents him from deceiving those nations;
and, in the third place, that the deception which by his imprisonment, or the
restraint that is put upon him, he is prevented from realizing is (sic) what would otherwise cause these
nations to gather for battle against the camp of the saints and the beloved
city.”[27]

We have studied
earlier in chapter 11 that the battle of Armageddon, which marks the end of the
millennium, is described not only in John’s apocalypse (Rev. 19:11-21;
20:7-10), but also in Ezekiel 38-39.[28]
According to Aune, “the names Gog and Magog, derived from Ezek 38-39, are
generic names for nations hostile to Israel who will unsuccessfully
attempt to annihilate the people of God. Yet they will be decisively defeated
by rain, hail, fire, and brimstone from heaven (Ezek 38:22).”[29]
In the context of Ezekiel 38-39, “Israel here is to be taken, in
harmony with all Scripture, in the New Testament sense of the word. The vision
of the restored Israel
of which Ezekiel 38 and 39 speak has been realized in the church of the new
dispensation.”[30] Therefore,
we are to understand “Israel”
as referring to true, spiritual Israel
(the Church) in Ezekiel’s apocalyptic visions. Furthermore, both Hoeksema and
Beale identify the hordes in Rev. 20:8 as “antagonistic peoples throughout the
earth,” the heathen nations that rebel against God.[31]
Beale further reasons that, “the “camp of the saints” is equated with “the
beloved city,” which further identifies the oppressed community of 20:9 as the
church.”[32] This
reflects the understanding that the “oppressed community” in Rev. 20:9 refers
to nominal Christendom in its widest sense.

We read in Rev.
20:7-9 that Satan, marshalling the armies of the heathen nations, makes a final
attempt at defeating the people of God. But “fire came down from God out of
heaven, and devoured them (Rev. 20:9).” All these events will happen in the
eschatological future. In the meantime, Satan is bound by a divine decree, so
that he is prevented from accomplishing his diabolical aims. While he is bound,
Satan can no longer deceive God’s people en
masse, and hinder them from witnessing to the nations. This does not mean
that Satan cannot harm the Church, or that the Church is no longer persecuted
by the world. Likewise, during the entire period whereby Satan is bound, the
devil is unable to deceive the heathen nations to attack “the camp of the
saints about, and the beloved city (Rev. 20:9),” or to prevent them from
hearing the gospel of grace. This period begins with the First Advent of
Christ, and “according to [Revelation] 20:7-9, the end point of the binding
occurs immediately before Christ’s final coming.”[33]

In view of this
amillennial interpretation of the binding of Satan, the chain (Rev. 20:1) can
be understood as “the holy decrees of God.”[34]
Alexander considers that “the chain, like the binding, is a figure denoting the
restrictive decree of God as in the case of the divine control over the rolling
sea: ‘Hitherto shalt thou come and no further: and here shall thy proud waves
be stayed.’ Job 38:11.”[35]

As Calvinists,
Reformed interpreters ultimately believe that God has decreed the victory of
the Church, the salvation of the elect, and the eventual destruction of Satan.
Therefore, the chain in Revelation 20:1 can signify the binding of Satan
according to God’s decrees. This harmonizes well with the understanding of the
binding of Satan as an apocalyptic motif, which symbolizes the restraining of
the devil.

Conclusion

The binding of
Satan occurs between the First and Second Advent of Christ, during the gospel
age. This is harmonious with the understanding that the millennium of
Revelation 20:1-6 does not follow Revelation 19 chronologically. We have
discussed the evidence for recapitulation previously, and have seen that
chapters 20 to 22 form the last of the seven sections of the book of
Revelation. Therefore, Revelation 20 brings us back to the beginning of the
gospel age.

The amillennial
interpretation of Revelation 20:1-3 is also consistent with 2 Thessalonians
2:6-12, “where Satan is said to be “already at work” in a mysterious way, but
nevertheless restrained. Immediately before Christ’s final coming the restraint
will be removed so that Satan will unleash “false wonders and . . . all
deception,” and then he will be judged along with his followers.”[36]

We read in Revelation
20:3 that Satan must be loosed “a little season” at the end of the thousand
years. This is when he will “go out to deceive the nations which are in the
four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle
(Rev. 20:8)” against the “camp of the saints.”

Prior to the Parousia of Christ, there will be a time
of great deception according to Revelation 20:3, 7-8. Beale writes,

“But at the end of the age, directly preceding Christ’s return, Satan
will again be allowed, for “a little time,” to stop the preaching of the gospel
and to draw the curtain of delusion over the nations, especially with the goal
of mounting a devastating attack against the people of God, as he did before in
Eden, against Israel, and at the cross against Jesus, the true Israel (cf. the
use of Ps. 2:1-2 in Acts 4:25-28 and Ps. 2:9 in Rev. 12:5). A lethal attack
must be launched against the corporate body of Christ, as earlier against the
individual Christ (see further on 11:3-12, esp. 11:1-2, 9).”[37]

In summary, the
binding of Satan in Revelation 20:1-3 refers to the curtailment of the devil’s
power so that he can neither prevent the preaching of the gospel to the heathen
nations, nor deceive these nations into attacking the church of Christ
on earth. Meanwhile, the elect of God are progressively received into the fold
of the Church.

The binding of
Satan is, without a doubt, an encouraging certainty for all believers. It
ensures that the preaching of the gospel by the Church will be unhindered.
Alexander reminds us that “there is a formidable difference between Satan’s
activity before and after Calvary. No more is
Satan permitted ‘to deceive the nations’ as once he did. He no longer has power
to hold the nations fast in the darkness of paganism and ignorance. Instead of
the Word of God being confined to one nation on earth, the small nation of Israel,
the boundaries of divine grace have been pushed back so that the whole wide
world has come under the power and the preaching of the gospel.”[38]
Thus, this understanding of the binding of Satan should spur the Church on to
labor for the gospel.

The kingdom of God is presently extended via the
triumphant Church. Christians ought to derive confidence from the fact that
Satan is bound, and that the gospel will ultimately bring salvation to all the
elect. The powers of darkness can never prevail, for the devil is already
defeated at the cross of Calvary. The final
destruction of the devil is decreed (Rev. 20:10), and the Parousia of Christ will bring the sufferings of the saints to an
end.

[31] Beale, The
Book of Revelation, 1024. Also see Hoeksema, Behold, He Cometh, 642-643. Hoeksema perceptively identifies Gog
and Magog with the heathen nations of the world. He writes, “Around it [i.e.
the camp of the saints], on the four quarters of the earth, that is, outside of
the pale of history, are nations which remain pagan. Although also from them
the elect are gathered into the church, as nations they remain distinctly
heathen. Gog and Magog, therefore, are heathen nations in distinction from
nominal Christendom.” Hoeksema, Behold,
He Cometh, 643.

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About Me

This is the blog of a Reformed, Evangelical Christian. I am especially interested in Christian apologetics, meta-apologetics, philosophy, and theology. I believe in engaging the culture in order to challenge its philosophical inconsistencies. It is hoped that some may see the fallacies of their world view, and come to the knowledge of the Truth in Christ Jesus.

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